Tubular-plate printing-press.



H. F. BECHMAN.

TUBULAR PLATE PRINTING PRESS.

APPQICATION FILED MAY 3, I915- Patented July 27 191.5.

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HENRY F. BEG-KHAN, 035 BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO DUPLEX PRENTINQ IEBESS CQMPANY, 0F BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN; A CQIQPQRATIGN 0F MICHIG-rhll.

TUBULAR-PLATE PRINTING-PRESS.

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To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Hnnnr F. Bnorrismn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tubular Plate PrintingPresses; and l hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

- enable two impressions to be taken simultaneously from a single page tubular plate and to enable the plate cylinder to be plated Without having to disturb the axial adjustment or relation of the cylinders, and

this I accomplish by arranging the impres sion cylinders at preferably diametrically opposite sides of the plate cylinder and pro viding means whereby one or more of such cylinders may be rotatorially adjusted relative to the others, so that when it is desired to put plates on the plate cylinder, or remove plates therefrom, the cylinders can he turned to positions hereinafter described which Will enable tubular plates to e be slipped on or of the plate cylinder'without at that time contacting with either impression cylinder; and the cylinders are then returned to their normal relative operative positions, whereupon the impression cylinders will take impressions from the plates on the plate cylinder in proper sequence.

The invention is simple but very practical and it avoids the necessity of using movahle bearings for the plate or'impression cylinders or of employing means for separating the cylinders laterally in order to place plates on or remove them from the plate cylinder.

The invention will he clearly understpod from the accompanying drawings and explanation thereof and summarized in the claims.

In said drawings: Figure 1 a diagram matical plan View of two blanket or impression cylinders and an intermediate tubular plate cylinder adapted to cooperate there with, and the gearing between said cyl- Specificacion of Letters Patent.

Patented onl as, leis.

inders. Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view showing one position of the cylinders when in printing or operative rela tion, and the plate cylinder'plated. Fig. e is a similar view justed to the relative positions necessary to enable plates to be put on or removed from the plate cylinder. Fig. 5 is a detail sec-' tional View illustrating one means which could be used to enable one of the impression cylinders to be turned rotatorially in its bearings Without afiecting, the other cylinders.

In the drawings 1 designates a plate cylinder and 2, 2 similar blanket or impression cylinders arranged at opposite sides thereof. The plate cylinder is adapted to showing the cylinders adcarry tubular plates P such as described in patent aforesaid, which plates are applied to the cylinder by slipping them end- Wise thereon, and are removed by pulling them endivise therefrom. For this purpose one of the bearings 1 of the plate cylinder is made of less diameter than the cylinder and may be supported by a narrow web 1* from the adjacent impression cylinder bearing, as described in my aforesaid patent, such Web substantially corresponding in thickness to the Width of the slot in the plate P, which slot corresponds to the man gin desired between consecutive impressions taken from the said plate upon a Web.- The other end bearing of the cylinder 1 may be The impression cylinders :2 and 2 may he mounted in bearings 52 of ordinary construction, so that said cylinders "will be fixed axially relative to the plate cylinder. Preferably I make the impression cylinders twice the diameter of the plate cylinders.

Each impression cylinder may be of ordinary construction and provided with the usual blanket or packing. The blanket on cylinder 2 has its ends passed through a longitudinal slot 3 in the cylinder and attached .to blanket take-up devices therein as usual.

Ilhe cylinder 2 is similarly provided with a blanket the ends of which are passed through a slot 3 in said cylinder and se- Q 1 v I 4 1,147,920

cured therein by the usual-.take-up devices.

Such take-up devices beir 5 common and Iwell known need no detailed description ere.

The cylinders may be intergeared at one side of the machine by means of a gear 1 on the plate cylinder 1 meshing with gears 4,1 4*, on the adjacent ends of the impression cylinders 2, 2". These gears are so proportioned that the plate and impressioncylin ders will rotate at the same peripheral-speed; and as the impression cylinders are shown as of twice the diameter of the plate cylinder the latter makes two revolutions to each revolution of the impression cylinders.

The gear 4 on. a cylinder 2 is preferably loosely mounted on the shaft of said cylinder, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, but can be made fast thereto "by any suitable means.

As shown in Fig. 4 said gear 4 may be provided with a radially movable key 4 in its hub which may be engaged with any one of a series of key-slots 2' m the shaft 2 of cylinder 2, which key slots are preferably arranged 90 apart. The key 4 can'be moved in or out of engagement with a key slot without removing the gear 4 from shaft 2, or disengaging it from the 'gear 1* on cylinder 1. 3 I

It will be understood that when in operative condition two webs can be printed simultaneously by said cylinders, one web indicated by dotted line w (Fig.3) beingled between impression cylinders being when one of the cylinders l and 2 and the other web, indicated by dotted line wbeing led between the cylinders 1 and 2; the means for supplying and guiding 'the webs are wellunderstood and do not require to be illustrated, as they would vary according to the design of the press in which the invention is to be employed.

It will be seen that when the mechanism is normally operating the plate B will be at all times in contact with either one or bothof the impression cylinders 2 and 2; the only time when it is not in contact with both gaps 3 or 3 in the impression cylinders2 and 2 comes opposite the plate on the plate cylinder; or when the gap in the plate on the plate cylinder comes oppositeaan impression. cylinder. As the gaps are narrow the plate P is actually printing all the time when the press is in operation and for most. of the time impressions "are being simultaneously taken therefrom by both the impression cylinders. When the cylinders are in normal operative relation however it is impossible to put the tubular plates on, or remove them from, the. plate cylinder. Heretofore in order to plate such cylinder, or remove platestherefrom, it has been necessary to provide means for bodily separating the cylinders axially to provide suificlent clearance between the pe-' ripheries of the plate and impressioncylin- 'bility 0 ders to enable the plates to be applied to or removed from the plate cylinder. This necessitated a more'or less costly constrdc- 7 'As indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 the plate I cylinder 1 has its rib 'ladjacent the periphe V ery ofthe cylinder 2 and diametrically opposite the gap 3. in said cylinder; this .iga normal 0 erative relation of the cylinders-'1 and 2. hecyliitde'r 2is also shown in normal operative relation to cylinder. l'in Figs; 2 and 3, and-3h the positions shown in said figures the gap 3 (when the parts are in the I position shown in Fig. 2) will be at the lowest side of the cylinder 2, or about behind the gap 3in cylinder 2'. When the parts are in normal relation therefore the plate P cannot be put on nor removed from the cylinder. If it is desired to removethe plate P from the plate cylinder, or puta plate thereon, then the cyhnders'are rotated until the cylinder 2 is in the position shown 'in Fig. 4. Then this cylinder 2 is disengaged from its gear 4 by withdrawing key 4 from the key-slot -3;.andthe n cylinder 1 and cylinder 2 are further rotated while cylinder 2 remains stationary, until these cylinders, l and 2, also reachthe positions shown in Fig. 4, namely, until the gap 3 or cylinder 2 comes opposite the plate cylinder 1. and diametrically opposite the rib 1 thereon. In this position of the parts ,(see Fig. 4L) a plate P can be slipped endwise on or removed ,from the cylinder 1, because in such position the ga a suflicient brea I in the periphery of the,cylinder 2 to allow the plate P to'be slipped on the cylinder 1 without contacting with the blanket on the cylinder 2; and the marginal slot in the plate P (which engages rib 1) makes a sufiicient gap in the periphery" of the plate P to prevent the latter contactpression cylinder 2*. Therefore when the cylinders are adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 4 the gaps provide sufficient clearance to permit plates to be placed on or withdrawn from the plate cylinder without clash, but in the normal relative positions of the cylinders it would be inipomible to jut the plates on or remove them from the.

plate cylinder without clash w th one or both of the impression cylinders. 1

After the plates are placed on the cylinder 1 in order to get the cylinder 2'back to normal position without clash the cylinders 1 and 2 are turned until the gap in the plate 3 in the cylinder 2 makesing with the opposed periphery of the imon cylinderl comes opposite the gap 3 in "cylinder 2 as indicated in dotted lines in.

Fig. a, then gear l is locked'to cylinder 2 and the parts are ready for operation.

What I claim is:

I 1. In printing mechanism, the combination of a cylinder adapted to carry a tubular plate having a longitudinal marginal slot, a pair-of impression cylinders adapted to coact with said plate cylinder, each impression cylinder having a longitudinal gap in its surface; and means permitting said cylinders to be shifted rotatorially so as to bring the slot in the plate opposite the periphery of one impression cylinder and bring the gap in the other impression cylinderopposite the plate cylinder, to permit a plate to be slipped on or oii the plate cyline der without, lateral displacement of said cylinders.

2. In a tubular plate printing press the combination of a cylinder adapted to carry single page tubular plates each having a marginal slot, a pair of impression cylinders at opposite sides of the plate cylinder, each impression cylinder having a longitudinal peripheral gap corresponding in width to the marginalslot in the plate; with gearing between said cylinders, and means whereby one of the cylinders can be turned independently of the other cylinders;- so that the marginal slot in the plate will be opposite the periphery of one of the impression cylinders and the gap in the other impression' cylinder will be opposite the periphery of the plate cylinder, 'whereu'pon tubular plates may be slipped endwise on or off the plate cylinder.

3. In a tubular plate printing mechanism the combination of a cylinder adapted to carry tubular plates each having a longitudinal slot, a pair of impression cylinders adapted to co-act with said plate cylinder and arranged at opposite sides thereof, each impression cylinder having a longitudinal gap in its surface substantially corresponding'in width with the marginal slot in the plate; and means whereby said cylinders can be turned out oil normal printing relation so as to bring the gap in the plate opposite the periphery 1' of one impresslon cylinder, and the gap in the other impression cylinder opposite the periphery of the plpte cylinder, whereupon the plates may be slipped on or ofl? the plate cylinder without axial displacement of saidcylinders.

4:. In a tubular plate printing press the combination of a cylinder adapted to carry single page tubular plates and having a marginal slot, a pair of impression cylinders at opposite sides of the plate cylinder and of greater diameter than the plate cylinder, each impression cylinder having a longitudinal peripheral gap corresponding in width to the marginal slot in the plate; gearing between said cylinders, and means whereby one of the cylinders can be turned out of normal printing position relative to the other cylinders to enable the marginal slot in the plate to be brought opposite the periphery of one of the impression cylinders v and the gap in the other impression cylinder to be brought opposite the periphery of the plate cylinder, in which position tubular. plates may-be slipped endwise on or ed the plate cylinder without clashing with the surface of either impression cylinder.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. v I p HENRY F. BECHMAN.

Witnesses:

IRVING K. STONE, CHARLES A. GRAMES. 

